BSc Hon Students and projects

2025 projects:

1. Cilliers van der Merwe. Microplastics, mercury and physiological responses to pollution in African clawless otters and their prey. Other supervisors include Andrea Webster and Andre Ganswindt.

2. Cameron McLean-Banks. Affects of elephants on the vegetation in Timbavati. The main supervisor is Mark Keith and co-supervised by Jan Venter. 

3. Céleste-Marié Engeström. Long term use of impala middens. Co-supervised by Peter Apps (Botswana Predator Conservation).

4. Lucía Castro Garrido. Brown hyena in the Waterberg. The main supervisor is Mark Keith.

2024 projects:

1. Michelle Siebrits. Assessing temporal partitioning of mesocarnivores in the presence and absence of large carnivores. Mark Keith & Michael Somers.

2. Carina Meyer. Assessing the indirect impact of elephants on bird & bat assemblages. Mark Keith, Michael Somers & Jan Venter (NMU).

3. Chanelle Potgieter. Sympatric mesopredators in the Waterberg: Patterns of co-occurrence and occupancy. Michael Somers & Mark Keith.

4. Dinis Gomes. Quantifying the thermal environment experienced in small mammal traps exposed to varying treatments. Michael Somers & Heamish Melville (UNISA).

2023 projects:

1. Micaela Venter. Movement of African wild dogs in the Waterberg. Co-supervised with Reilly Mooney and Jan Venter.

2. Michaela van Wyk. Scent marking in carnivores. 

3. Sarah Rich. The effect of roads on the activity of black-backed jackals and leopards. Co-supervised with Mark Keith and Jan Venter.

2022 projects:

1. Arno van Niekerk.  Occupancy of leopard tortoises in arid areas.  Co-supervised with Mark Keith and Jan Venter.  (With distinction).

2. Karla Mieny. The influence of megaherbivores on the seasonal diet of herbivores in Sanbona Game Reserve. Co-supervised with Chris Brook and Jan Venter. (With distinction).

3. Alannah Grobler. Do seismic surveys have an impact on cetacean behaviour in South Africa? Co-supervised with Jan Purdon and Els Vermeulen. 

4. Elna Davel. The use of culverts by warthogs. Co-supervised with Maartin Strauss. 

5. Tynika Tiribeni. The influence of lion pride structure on lion territories. Co-supervised with Jan Venter and Herve Fritze.

6. Robyn Nelson. Foraging behaviour, partitioning, and interactions between the invasive common Myna and indigenous species. 

7. Rodney Naleba. How does microhabitat structure influence large and medium-sized mammalian species communities in arid areas of South Africa? The main supervisor is Mark Keith, and another co-supervisor is Jan Venter.

8. Daleen Steenkamp. Bats on roads in a protected area. The main supervisor is Mark Keith and another co-supervisor is Maartin Strauss.   

9. Luke Foster (UNISA). What mammals are being moved across Africa and from where to where?  The main supervisor is Maartin Strauss. 

2021 projects:

1. Neev Shah. Do herbivores change their behaviour in the absence of lions in arid areas of South Africa? Co-supervised by Mark Keith, Jan Venter and Nokubonga Mgqatsa. (With distinction).

2. Mistian Thomson. Herbivore space use in Atherstone Nature Reserve, Limpopo province, South Africa. Co-supervised by Mark Keith and Jan Venter. (With distinction).

2020 projects: 

1. Evers, E.M., Pretorius, M.E., Venter, J.A., Honiball, T-L., Keith, M., Mgqatsa, N. & Somers, M.J. 2022. Varying degrees of spatio-temporal partitioning between large carnivores in a fenced reserve, South Africa. Wildlife Research. https://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR21045  (Hon project with distinction)

2. Tristan Baird.  Spatial and temporal avoidance between Five African carnivores (The main supervisor was Mark Keith with Michael  Somers, Nokubonga Mgqatsa, and Jan Venter as co-supervisors).

3. Agathe Gervais. The temporal dynamics of mesocarnivores within the carnivore communities of Pilanesberg National Park and Telperion Nature Reserve. Co-supervised by Mark Keith, Nokubonga Mgqatsa, and Jan Venter. (With distinction).

4. Isma Kayiza. Edge effect and mammal abundance. The main supervisor was Mark Keith, and another co-supervisor was Jan Venter.

5. Marcelle van Greune. Lion social dynamics in HiP. Co-supervised by Simon Chamaillé-Jammes (CNRS) & Dave Druce (UKZN).

2019 projects:

1. Tamar Kendon. Protected area size is a key determinant of the seasonal home range and core area size of cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Co-supervised by Adrian Shrader and Vincent van der Merwe.

2. Myles Illidge. Behaviour, interactions and partitioning between the Common Myna and the Karoo Thrush. 

3. Kyle Smith. Testing the spatial and temporal avoidance hypotheses: Do subordinate carnivores change behaviour in response to dominant carnivores? Co-supervised by Jan Venter.

4. Michael Nel. T. Instantaneous change in the foraging and anti-predator behaviour of zebra (Equus quagga) after hearing the roars of a long-absent predator. Co-supervises were Adrian Shrader and Maartin Strauss.

2018 projects: 

1. Oosthuysen, M., Strauss, W.M. & Somers, M.J. 2023. The relationship between mammalian burrow abundance and bankrupt bush (Seriphium plumosum) encroachment. Bothalia, African Biodiversity & Conservation 53: 1–8.

2. Jancke L. Loggenberg. The gastrointestinal parasites of the Cape clawless otter and spotted-necked otter in urban and untransformed habitat types in South Africa.  Co-supervised by Trevor McIntyre.

2017 projects:

1. Webber, J.T., Henley, M.D, Pretorius, Y., Somers, M.J. & Ganswindt, A. (2018). Changes in African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) faecal steroid concentrations post-defaecation. Bothalia 48(2): a2312. https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v48i2.2312

2. Msebenzi, Mhlamvu. Mammal burrow use in Telperion. Co-supervsed by Maartin Struass (UNISA). 

3. Ingred Prior. Burrow temperature and use in Telperion Nature Reserve. Co-supervsed by Maartin Struass (UNISA). 

2016 projects:

1. Conradie, S.R., Hall, G., Somers, M.J. & McIntyre, T. (2019). Limited animal-facilitated nutrient transfer across an aquatic-terrestrial interface in a southern African savanna. African Journal of Wildlife Research 49: 52–61. https://doi.org/10.3957/056.049.0052

2. Simone Elena Blomsterberg. The temporal use of latrines by rusty-spotted genet (Genetta maculata Gray 1830) in Telperion Nature Reserve. Co-supervised by Emmanual do Linh San.

3. Johann-Henning Herbst. Interspecific utilization of Springhare (Pedetes capensis) burrows in Telperion Nature Reserve. Co-supervised by Maartin Strauss.

4. Sylvi Fullard.  Seed ecology of the pompom weed in an urban area.

5. Xhobani Masibulele (Fort Hare).  Genet latrine use in the Great Fish River Reserve. The main supervisor was  Emmanual do Linh San. 

2015 projects:

1. Webster, A.B., Pretorius, M.E. & Somers, M.J. (2021). The determinants of mesocarnivore activity patterns in highveld grassland and riparian habitats. African Journal of Wildlife Research 51: 178–192. https://doi.org/10.3957/056.051.0178

2. Calvin Griffiths. Activity patterns of serval at Sasol’s Secunda plant.

3. Marié de Vos. Investigating otter diet on a fly-fishing estate: Are otters a management concern? The main supervisor was  McIntyre. Other co-supervisors were Grant Hall and  Marthan Bester.

4. Damen Dallas. Social structure and behaviour development in juvenile spotted hyenas. Co-supervised by Micaela Szykman-Gunther.

2014 projects:

1. Jordaan, R. K., Mcintyre, T., Somers, M. J., & Bester, M. N. (2015). An assessment of spatial and temporal variation in the diet of Cape clawless otters (Aonyx capensis) in marine environments. African Journal of Wildlife Research 45: 342–353.  https://doi.org/10.3957/056.045.0342

2. Elreze Scott.  Trophic overlap between semi-aquatic carnivores in Bankenveld ecotone reserve.

3. Josephine IiKela. The winter survival and activity patterns of the common warthog Phacochoerus africanus in Telperion Nature Reserve.

Under construction from here down!

2013 projects:

1. Catelyne van der Sluis. Winter survival and activity of common warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus)  in a grassland ecosystem. Co-supervised by Maartin Strauss and Lourens Swanepoel.

2. Sonica Grõnschloss. Trophic overlap between the Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis), spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis) and water mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) in Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa.

3. Kevin Wade Emslie Safety in numbers: a case of yellow mongooses opportunistically augmenting with meerkats. Co-supervised by Emmanual do Linh San. 

4. Leah Adams. Diet of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (Schreber) in the Kruger National Park.  

2012 projects:

1a Ramnanan, R., Swanepoel, L.H. & Somers, M.J. (2013). The diet and presence of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) on private land in the Waterberg region, South Africa. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 43(1): 68-73. https://doi.org/10.3957/056.043.0113

 1b Ramnanan, R., Thorn, M., Tambling, C.J. & Somers, M.J. (2016). Resource partitioning between black-backed jackal and brown hyaena in Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. Canid Biology & Conservation 19(2): 8-13. URL: http://www.canids.org/CBC/19/jackal_hyaena_partitioning.pdf.

2010 project:

1. Hardi von Tonder.  Waterbuck declines in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Co-supervised by Dave Druce. 

2. Vonica Perold.  Co-supervised by Dave Druce. 

2009 project:

1. Isaacs, L., Somers, M.J. & Dalerum, F. 2013. Effects of prescribed burning and mechanical bush clearing on ungulate space use in an African savannah. Restoration Ecology. 21(2): 260–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-100X.2012.00877.x

2008 projects:

1. Janelle Bashant.  An evaluation of spotlight distance sampling to estimate the density of small and medium-sized nocturnal mammals.

2007 projects:

1. Rolanda Julius. The response of native ant communities to an alien invasive species (Chromolaena odorata) - the effect of temporal variation in invasion and clearing.

2. Jean Purdon.  The effect of grazing by ungulates on the biodiversity of ants in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.  Co-supervised by Kate Parr.

2005 projects:

1. Saleni, P., M. Gusset, J. A. Graf, M. Szykman, M. Walters, and M. J. Somers. 2007. Refuges in time: temporal avoidance of interference competition in endangered wild dogs Lycaon pictus. Canid News 10.2

2. Jumbam, K.R., Terblanche, J.S., Deere, J.A., Somers, M.J. & Chown, S.L. 2008. Critical thermal limits and their responses to acclimation in two sub-Antarctic spiders: Myro kerguelenensis and Prinerigone vagans. Polar Biology. 31: 215-220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0349-0 

3.  T Jordaan.  Small carnivores affecting biodiversity. Co-supervised by Michele Walters and Emmanual do Lihn San.

4. Nangamso B. Malongwe . Diet of the black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) in the xeric succulent thicket of the Great Fish River Reserve, South Africa. Co-supervised with Michele Walters and Emmanual do Lihn San.  (Work contributed to:   Do Linh San, E., Malongwe, N.B., Fike, B., Somers, M.J. & Walters, M. (2009). Autumn Diet of Black-Backed Jackals (Canis mesomelas) in the Thicket Biome of South Africa. Wildlife Biology in Practice. 5, 96–103.) 

2004 projects:

1. Dumalisile, L., Somers, M.J., Walters, M. & Nel, J.A.J. (2005). Tourists’ willingness to pay to view otters along the Wild Coast, South Africa: a potential for increased ecotourism. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Studies in Southern Africa 1: 97–106. 

2. Mandisa Mgobozi. Spider diversity in the Transkei.

2003 projects

1. Zetu Makwabasa.  Aphid distributions on Marion Island,  Co-supervised by Richard Mercer.

2. Shallin Abraham.  Aphid body size with altitude on Marion Island. Co-supervised by Richard Mercer.